Monday, August 1, 2016

Writing About: Wildfire + Question of the Month

Wildfires aka brush fires are scary. I blogged about them
in my 2015 A to Z Challenge (my theme was disasters), and I shared my own
experience when a fire threatened my childhood home and took the life of one of
my family’s beloved pet cats. Her name was Angel, and she passed away on my
birthday.

Fire is one of my fears and living in Central Florida we
have a fire season that typically begins April 1st. If there’s no
rain, everything is dry. Leaves are dead, and trees are brown. A single spark
could set ablaze a fire in a second. Wildfires are also a threat every year in
California and other states across the US.

Here are a few things to remember to mention if you write
about a wildfire:

- Smell of Smoke

When a fire is close, the unmistakable stench of burning
wildfire can be detected in the air.

- Smoke Stacks

Wherever there’s a fire, there’s smoke, and smoke stacks in
the distance can always be seen if there’s a fire anywhere.

- Ashes

Another indicator that a fire is close are the black and
gray ashes that fall from the sky. They can be an inch-long or even up to
six-inches-long depending on what’s burning.

As a fire approaches, orange can be seen flickering through
tree branches and brush. Then all of a sudden, that same place you were looking
is consumed in flames. Flames go to the tops of trees, snake along the grass,
and can even jump over roads. I’ve seen it.

- Charred Nature

After a fire blows through, ashes and charred wood is left
behind. Trees are blackened. Palmetto bushes become burnt stumps. And the
ground is a sheet of ashes and burnt pieces of nature that crunches beneath
your feet.

Fire is alive, so if you ever have to write about it, treat
it as though it’s a living, breathing thing.

MY ANSWER: I live in Florida, which has the largest
coastline in the US (1,350 miles), but I haven’t been to many beaches. I walked
the boardwalk at Hollywood Beach but didn’t step onto the sand to see the
water. And I’ve been to Melbourne and Cocoa beaches because that’s where I’ve
lived, but my favorite beach was in Fort Lauderdale. (I don’t know the name of
it. Though I suspect all of them are as lovely.) My family took our first and
only vacation to Fort Lauderdale when I was maybe ten. During the day, the water was so clear it was
magical. Every night we would go to the beach and watch the ships, sparkling
like flames on the ebony waters, cross the horizon. It was lovely. Peaceful. I’ll
never forget it.

I reside closeby to The New Forest, should the weather get exceedingly hot then the area have a wild blaze.In the New Forset animals are allowed to roaam freely so it's in the interest of all....human's and animals that the fires are controlled quickly.Looking forward to the ISRG on Wednesday.Yvonne.

I grew up in eastern NC and there were plenty of fires in the pine forests and swamps and I have been on the fire lines there--very scary when it burns over. My favorite beach would probably be Masonboro Island also in NC, near where I grew up, 9 miles of undeveloped beach that you had to have a boat to reach. My first piece (outside of a few newspaper pieces, was published in the Nevada Historical Society Quarterly.

Never had an experience with wildfires but this is a great resource for a story idea I have filed away. As for beaches, I haven't been to many. Went to Virginia Beach, the beach at Ft Lauderdale and Jamaica, Ocha Rio. But I have to say that the beach in Jama8was the most beautiful.

I have been fortunate and never been threatened by a wildfire. I did however see the smoke stack and have ashes in my pool from a Gulf Park fire here in the Florida Panhandle a few years ago. I love the question of the month, so I am going to check out Michael's blog and maybe I'll join in. :-)sherry @ fundinmental

I've never been anywhere close to a wildfire, and hope I never am! I'm a lifelong pyrophobic, though my phobia is generally under control these days. I'm able to sit or stand in front of a bonfire on the holiday of Lag B'Omer, instead of hanging back in the shadows.

I'm surprised to learn Florida has the most U.S. coastline. I would've thought that position would go to California, since it's so much bigger.

Wildfires certainly are alive, they even create their own weather. Which in some cases is a good thing when we're in dire need of rain. I've been too close on too many occasions, the last one being just this spring in the woods. Dense smoke through the trees in daylight was bad enough, but ashes on the porch by evening was terrifying.Having been to beaches on both coasts, I still say one in Mexico was the best.Excellent post, Chrys!

Unfortunately, we're experiencing the smokey fire, and it seems we'll have that experience all month. They don't expect to contain the fire on the coast until the end of August. This morning, I can't see the ridge line of our forest and the air is terrible. So sorry for those who've lost homes. Extremely sorry for the loss of life.

The idea of a house fire scares me. We had a small fire in our apartment when I was twelve and it still gets to me, eventhough the damage was minimal. Florida seems like a complicated place to live; lots of coast and a fire season.

I'm not fond of fires either. Just being around fire bothers my asthma. The crazy thing - we had a house blow up right near our house last week. It was a gas leak. The whole thing just blew up! One lady is dead, a few other houses are unlivable. That freaked me out.

I think my favorite beach that I've been to is Tybee Island in Savannah, GA. I haven't been to very many living in Nebraska though.

We're surrounding by forest, so there is always the threat of forest fires in the spring and summer. And because we live on a lake, we could see them burning across from us. It was hard to be optimistic. I've packed our personal belongings a few times. Not a good feeling.

Hi Chrys - yes bush fires in South Africa - frightening, and at times here in the UK we get across the heath land ... not funny at all - but seeing the huge ones really brings it home - and I'm glad at the end of a tv screen.

I hope this season is not too serious .. though CA is having its fair share ...

Beach - Godrevy in Cornwall ... kids' beach before it was developed ... and dusty writings - only lots of blog posts ...

We encountered them this fall, in the mountains of North Carolina. Their burn glowed orange by night. The smoke at times snuck over you, like a predator on a high branch that you could feel and smell. Other times, it crept close to the ground, sweeping in, right to left or left to right, quick and lateral, as if it was keeping an eye on us and attempting to surround us.